Paranoia

Even the slightest of sounds can seem piercing, when amidst crystalline silence. And right now, the noise of my own breathing sounds like a storm brewing to me.

I try to breathe a bit more quietly, but there is little I can do to wane my thumping heart, which feels and appears to be a ceaseless machine.

A noise of quick and forceful rapping on the wooden front door echoes throughout the house and I shriek in my head, not daring to make a noise.

What do I do? Where do I hide? Does the person know I'm inside?

"I know you're there, Cleo," a feminine voice speaks. "Open up."

Damn it.

The voice sounds familiar, but I can't let things like these fool me. It could be anyone. It could be…

"It's Josie, your best friend? If you still remember me, that is," followed by that familiar nervous chuckle.

Oh, okay. I get up from my hiding spot, but quickly sit back again. What if it's someone pretending to be her? How do I make sure?

I call her cell number. She picks up instantly and speaks.

"Very funny, Cleo, but let me in now."

I hang up almost immediately. Bad move. If someone can produce her voice, then they could easily have grabbed her phone too. I call again.

"Yes, Cleo. Hi, I'm still Josie, and I'm still standing outside your home. How may I be of service?"

"Where did we…" I choke up a bit, "Where did we bury my dead bunny, Luna?"

"Uh… Ten steps north from the Horse Chestnut tree in the park, then five steps southeast at 45°, underneath the pinkish gray rock. Now you know it's me, right?"

I reluctantly get up and walk to the door with a bat in my hand. Just in case.

"Hey kitty!" she says cheerfully and hugs me. The faint scent of apples and vanilla, her trademark perfume hits my nostrils and my muscles start to somewhat relax.

"Look, I know you're upset and confused and…"

Yeah, tell me about it.

"I really believe that you could do with some fun right now."

Fun? FUN?! I'd rather stay in and stay safe, thank you very much.

"Uhh, I don't think I should," I start.

"Oh come on! Please, please, please? It won't take more than two hours, I promise."

Knowing her, she probably won't let this go, so I sigh and say, "Wait up, I'm gonna go get ready."

"You are? Sweet!" she punches her hand, and adds a little tentatively, "Have you had any trace of your, uh, parents yet?"

No, of course not. They probably have been killed off by the people of your species!

"No. Probably got stuck in the blizzard somewhere," is all I can say.

We step out, and my eyes widen.

Every single house on the street is embellished gorgeously, and mine just looks incredibly grotesque.

"What's the occasion?" I say as we start walking, me wanting to put a distance between myself and my house, because the lack of decorations makes it seem suspicious.

"Oh, it's Halloween," she says casually.

I almost stop dead in my tracks. "It's not even October, Josie."

"It's a special Halloween." She smiles at me somewhat eerily and I shiver a bit "Come on, you'll see for yourself."

The shrill music hits my ears and it gets louder and louder as we advance towards the crowd. Everyone is in weird Halloween costumes and I feel like I'm standing out again.

Josie starts dragging me in the middle of the crowd, but I free my hand from her clasp and start speeding out.

"Hey, who are you?" says a boy dressed in black robes. "What are you?" he whispers, taking a step in my direction.

I completely freak out and try to run again, but the music stops abruptly, and I'm confused all over again.

"All those present here, you know this is a milestone for us all," a voice booms over us and the crowd cheers. "The majority of our enemy has been destroyed. However, a few might remain, who will find it hard to thrive under our close supervision. We have waited too long for this. We will burn the myths…. And write them again."

As the crowd bursts in cheers, applause and whistles, I notice the banner overhead and my head starts spinning. My worst suspicion has just been confirmed.

It seems as though I am one of the last human beings alive. And I don't think I'll be alive much longer.